Animals Aren't Souvenirs - Messages From a Shell

Have you ever picked up a shell an found the animal still living in its home? As humans we are fascinated with touching and prodding different species.  Is this just our curious human nature? What if a large animal picked us up and prodded and sniffed us. How would we react? Would we try to move away, try to fight them off? I hope none of us ever has to witness this happening to our friends and loved ones let alone ourselves.

Yesterday was my "unplug" day. I live near the beach and I pack nothing but beach gear—no electronic devices or cellphones, sunscreen, lunch and lots of water. There are many beautiful migrating sea birds that flock along the shores and many visiting tourists. Quite honestly I am more comfortable with the animals than the people. The animals forage for bits of food among the debris that is washed up. Many have to pick through plastic bottle caps, styrofoam and other man-made items. This is something they have come to accept and sadly so has mankind.

But it doesn't have to be this way, and if we rally took some quiet time to observe nature we would feel more connected and our self-preservation vibes would spread to world around us. It would include the plants and animals that share our communities. And this would be taught to our offspring and together we could bring change. Meditation is key to helping raise our awareness.

Yesterday I used my floating-in-the-water time to make this connection. It is such a beautiful thing to switch off and float. A water meditation can be done anywhere you can quietly submerge yourself in water. If you use your tub, just imagine the sights, scents, feelings and sounds that bring you complete peace.
You start very simply with an opening prayer. Here is the one I use:
To my highest guides and helpers second to none

Bless me and keep me safe at this time that I sit
Knowing that all that is said, done and heard, felt or sensed in any way
is with absolute love as I blend myself with my consciousness
I wish at this time to be at one with my spirit

I close my eyes and feel myself floating in the water (I use a floating raft, but you can also sit on the beach with the water lapping up on you) I breath along with  the rhythm of the water feeling the rise and fall of the sea. I feel the wind and I hear the sea birds. I smell in all of the beautiful scents that abound at the ocean. I then just LET GO of all thought and I allow myself to be carried. This lasts no more than 15—20 minutes, and after it is finished I close with a prayer of gratitude. I allow whatever sensations, feelings, images, sounds or thoughts to be brought to my conscious state and (after I dry off) journal everything. These journals have brought tremendous insight and peace.

I came away from the meditation and found myself in conversation with a fish. There are many tiny fish that scoot along the shoreline and one came and sat beneath my raft. I had felt my disgust with some of the people I had seen picking up the conchs and wanting to take them home as souvenirs. This happens so often that I find myself trying to gently educate them as they run screaming to their friends to come and look at what they "found" as if they now have a right to where it gets to reside—in their beach bucket or back in the sea. This fish was letting me know that even though I sound like I am a broken record, I am the one with the voice, I have the vocal chords that can communicate with humans. "But," I said, "I don't want to be the beach police, I came here to relax and enjoy nature." The fish replied, "Isn't part of that enjoyment protecting what you love?" Before departing he swam a few circles around my knees and I thanked it for its wisdom.

And so, I will continue to visit the beach and I will carry on collecting trash and speaking to people that toss animals around like toys. But I will also continue to teach about the importance of daily meditation. Fifteen minutes a day can bring you inspiration, insight and oh yes, wise counsel from the creatures sharing our planet.

To learn how you can meditate please read my book Sæ-sii Meditation: How to Find Your Bliss in 15 Minutes a Day

I am a Professional Animal Communicator, I can speak with your animals! learn more

Photos: 
Top: Jeffery Pippen
Bottom: http://www.dickndebbietravels.com/?p=8228

An Open Letter to My Children

Dear children,

I am sending you this with love, it is a story that I hope will shed some light on any dark corners of doubt you may have as to those yester-years of your childhood.

It all began on that stormy day in May in 1976. I was twenty-one and figured being born from a mother who raised eight kids, whose own mother raised twelve would somehow up-the-odds in speeding up the process in the delivery room. Wrong—fourteen hours later my first born learned to use his lungs LOUDLY. It was the 1970s where most of my peers were off to college or working at jobs listening to Lez Zepplin, The Rolling Stones and The Doors while I stayed home rocking my son to lullabys and nursery rhymes. Every woman in town, most of them strangers, offered me advice and even scolded me. "You better not let him sleep lying on your shoulder like that, or he'll get a stiff neck!" Somehow I managed to find my own way and Jake grew to become a happy young man. I remember those days when I was a mom with only one child, it was blissful. He was everything to me and my role as daughter and sister and even wife seemed to pale in comparison. Being a mother fulfilled a desire to give love and being loved unconditionally in return—well, that was something I was only beginning to learn.

It would be five years before my daughter Jessi was born. I remember feeling very emotional and filled with doubt. How could I possibly love another child? How could my heart stretch even further—Jake was my greatest concern. How would he be able to accept this new sibling? Well, shortly after she was born, I called to tell him the big news. I was met with, "I wanted a brother."
Soon he learned to accept her and although they were five years apart, they were good playmates. Their young lives were not born into a happy home and I was on divorce number two by the time Jessi was three. I was struggling with so many things. Trying to find balance in raising them as a single mom, was a daily battle. Meanwhile my relationship with my own parents was on the rocks.

I had exited my childhood home at the age of eighteen. My father was an alcoholic and my mother had lived with her own struggles. How could I turn to them? I was in my twenties in the 1980s and wallowing in self pity over trying to support two children—my mother had raised eight. Somehow I felt a huge gap between us, and rarely asked her for any counseling. How silly of me to allow the childhood anger that burned within me, cause me to miss out on her gifts. My own inability to recognize all she had to overcome, stopped me from seeing her wisdom. She was thirty when she had me and I was her fifth child. Why hadn't I stopped to realize all she had lived through, all she had accomplished? She was a beautiful, talented woman who chose to stay in her home and rise above any hopes, dreams or aspirations that women of today may have—and be the best mom she could. She wasn't perfect and neither was I, but my anger somehow turned inward and I began to live with a deep self-loathing. I battled depression and my diet consisted of one meal a day topped off with anti-depressants and sleeping pills. Everyone told me I looked better than ever,  and a modeling agency hired me after a few photos. Smiling for the cameras while swallowing my tears. Was this the image I wanted to show to the world? This is the home where my two happy children existed. I loved them beyond measure, but they could not mend my heart and those days feel like a blur to me. But, something happened to change all of that and it began when I faced my father. The father who had fought his alcoholic demons and won. Great, now he was the sober, fun-loving grandfather who read stories and played games with my children—somehow this felt like a slap in the face. Where was he when I needed him?

It was was Father's Day 1988 and I was about to turn thirty three. I was fiddling with some cards looking for one that held my sentiment, but all I kept finding were warm and fuzzy ones that said, "Thank you for pushing me on a swing." Did he?
"You were there to bandage my knee." Nope, I don't remember that either.
I stormed out of that store and drove straight to his house. The twenty minutes went by like a blink. I marched up the stairs and pushed through the front door. I startled my father as I found him sitting in the same place he was everyday at 3:30PM…in front of the TV watching Bullwinkle. He took one look at me and knew I was not making a social call. He clicked off the TV and stood there looking helplessly at me. “What’s wrong?” he asked. And so I told him. I had no idea he would be so open and willing to listen. We stood in his kitchen and cried together as he explained how those years of alcoholism were a blur to him and he truly loved me and ALL of my siblings. My parents agreed to attend a few therapy sessions and together we peeled back the onion skin of pent up pain, hurt and anger. What we were left with was a relationship that is indescribable. We all turned the corner and started to be more open, more trusting, better listeners and more loving. My parents became some of my closest and wisest friends.

This didn't fix all of my problems, I still had a lot of issues and one of them was self-disappointment in never pursuing my dream of becoming an artist. It was 1990 and I was commuting to an art school that was ninety miles from my home. Another failed attempt at a relationship had gone up in smoke and I was focusing on my degree to try an earn a living. It was my time to shine and shine I did quickly rising to the top of my class. But all work and no play can make a person miserable and so I began a new romance and before I knew it I was carrying another child. Art school dreams dwindled as I prepared another nursery. I had truly thought I was finished with diapers and strollers… my first child was in his mid-teens and my daughter was in the fifth grade. So began another brick in the wall of poor self-esteem as I knew I was being judged by my errors. But, how could choosing to bring a child into the world over what many would have seemed the perfect solution, a terminated pregnancy be wrong? It wasn't and although my parents had harsh words to say over this, they were rock solid with their support. When I went into labor my mother gathered Jessi into her lap as my father reached for my hand—slipping an antique silver dollar into my palm he said, "Give this to him, it's from me." I held that coin all the way there thinking of this kindness, this new and improved relationship.

My third child was born Saint Patrick's Day and oh what joy he brought into my life and indeed I felt lucky. A bouncing baby boy weighing almost ten pounds. He seemed larger than life and although I hadn't realized it, having him helped me perfect my talent as a children's illustrator. Seeing things through a child's perspective can open the door and if we stop and listen they can teach us more than ever dreamed. This child was born into a time when I was not on sleeping pills and anti depressants, no, this child was the one to remind me of my greatest achievement on earth—being a mom. He grew to a stature of over 6'4" and now I'm the one looking up.

It was through the connection of understanding my parents as PEOPLE and not only as my parents that brought me healing. They are no longer here but I have so many wonderful memories of them. We may have lived as a family unit for years, but the true "friendship" began the day I stopped and faced them. It could have gone the other way and he could have told me to get out of his home, but he didn't. His very words were, "I always knew that the day would come when one of my children would hold me accountable, I just never knew which one." It was me. Not because I am any different than any of the other siblings—they each had their own struggles, it was because I was willing to take that step. Some call it crazy, I call it LOVE. My mother and father remain with me and I share their wisdom and the life lesson they taught me and present it gladly.

Each of my children are following their own paths and I admire them greatly. As a parent we want only what is best and I can only wonder how many times my parents bit their tongues when they saw me stumbling. But it is in the stumbling that we learn. It is what we make of the situation that can bring about change and healing. If life were measured in how many times we make mistakes I would be way past the goal line! They are my offspring yes, but they are people with different ideals aspirations and goals and I respect the paths they have chosen. I rejoice in the fact that we can agree to disagree on things, have open discussions, laugh out loud and cry when needed. We make a great team.

So dear children of mine, as you can see I have written this to show you I am not perfect. I make mistakes. I fall down and I rise again. My world changed for the better the day I stopped looking at my parents as role models that were somehow supposed to be perfect and looking at them as ordinary, simple people. Wonderful, strong, intelligent, humorous hard working people. We are all on a journey and I am so honored to have been their child.  I have accomplished many things in my life. I worked hard and now I am a HAPPY professional artist/author and motivational speaker. It's been almost six years since I met the love of my life Dean and our work in comics leaves us laughing everyday. Will I have storms and will heartache meet me in the future? Perhaps, but I can tell you this…the love I hold for each of you is the energy that keeps me going. Being your mother is my greatest achievement on this planet. I was chosen to bring you forth as a gift to the world. A gift that can share this knowledge that in order to be the loving individuals who can move mountains to help others, it begins with self love. BE this love to the earth.

Blessings to all of you.
Love,
Mom

Animal Communication 3 - Pets in Spirit

Continued from Part 2
As we continue to study the different methods of communicating with animals, let us consider those pets that have passed. This type of communication requires you to be in a place where you are not dealing with depression. So to begin, you must consider where you are in the healing process. Mourning the loss of a beloved pet takes time and only YOU can determine how this effects your state of mind. When you are ready to try and make a connection, follow these simple steps.

Choose a photo of your pet that has crossed over.  Sit quietly with the picture and imagine yourself beside your pet. Think of a memory that invokes your love energy, and feel it as it bubbles to the surface. Feel the warmth of its fur (or whatever it is covered in), the sound of its beating heart, the look in their eyes, their scent and how you "feel" whenever you are with this animal. This is the energy you will use to "link up" with your pet.  You will be using the same methods described previously, so let us review.
I outlined it in Part 1.

You will begin with a prayer of silence asking for protection as you open up to the ether world. This is what I use:
To my highest guides and helpers second to none
Please protect me at this time of meditation
Knowing that everything that is said, heard, felt or sensed is with absolute love
as I blend with my conscious and become one with my spirit.
I wish to communicate with (insert Pet's name) and I ask for your assistance in bringing this about.
I thank ALL THAT IS.

You may now continue with your eyes closed or open (I do it eyes closed as it keeps me in the zone.) Next, begin sending thoughts of LOVE to your pet. See this love energy as white light washing over the animal. Feel the connection as this white light continues to bathe the animal and just let yourself sink into this sensation of absolute LOVE. You may begin to feel a bit emotional, this is perfectly normal. This emotion is your heart energy opening up and blending with your beautiful pet.

Ask permission to speak with your pet. You may get a sensation of a wall or a block, if so, thank your pet and try again later. You have just felt what it is to get a "busy signal" or "not now." You may get a warm comfortable sensation and this is a "yes."

Start by being perfectly still in this space and send an image that will remind your pet of your special relationship. Begin with only one memory, for example: You feeling them nuzzle against your skin. Just stay with that tender moment a bit—and feel your heart opening more and more to the animal in spirit. It is a wonderful state of bliss and you may feel their love washing over you in return. Some people actually "feel" body temperature shifts, prickly skin, heart flutters, ears ringing, etc. Do not be alarmed, this is just your physical body blending with the vibrational energy of the animal.  You are both energy and although you are physical, you both connect through your beautiful spirits.

Now it is time to ask a question. Imagine your question floating within a bubble and send it to your pet. Trust that they have heard you, and wait.

Keep the question very simple and focus on the feelings and reason surrounding your question.

Ask OPEN questions. Closed questions will only allow the animal to respond in Yes or No. For example, "Do you visit me?" is a closed question."
"Which room do you like best when you visit me?" is an open question.

Next comes the trusting part. Sit in silence after sending your question accepting they have heard the question and stay in this love energy.

See their response in a bubble as it returns to you and pops open with a reply. Again it may be a thought, feeling, image, sound, taste or just a knowing. Often it can come quickly before you have even asked the question as they are reading your thoughts and excited you are communicating in their language.

Next just feel everything that comes to you. Do not think about it or try to engage any logic just allow the communication to wash over you. THIS TAKES PRACTICE, so if you do not feel or sense anything the first time, do not give up.

Before ending the communication always ask if there is something else your pet would like to share.

Thank them for this connection and leave them with this beautiful white light of love energy. Write EVERYTHING down in your journal.

This is a wonderful way to continue the loving relationship once they have crossed. It takes commitment and practice, but ALL can do this. I have seen many unbelievers come away from these sessions, filled with gratitude as they have glimpsed the heart energy sent to them from across the veil. Always keep a journal and be sure to TEACH OTHERS as this brings tremendous healing for both YOU and your beloved pet that misses you dearly.

In my next blog we will discuss communicating with part 4 Missing Animals. Learn to connect with an animal that is missing and help others, ALL can do this.

I am a Professional Animal Communicator, I can speak with your animals! learn morehttps://calicohorses.com/animal-communication-with-lorraine-turner/
Everything I have learned, came through the teachings of Wynter Worsthorne
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To learn how you can meditate please read my book Sæ-sii Meditation: How to Find Your Bliss in 15 Minutes a Day

Animal Communication 2

Continued from Part 1…As you continue to blend your energy in communication with animals your bond will grow and your auric field will reveal this. Animals can see your auric field. Not only do they use their physical senses such as scent, body language, sound and taste but, they can also see what your vibrational energy field looks like. Can you just imagine how different YOUR world would appear if you could "see" anger, malice, fear in the energy field approaching you? How do I know without a doubt that animals can "see" auric fields? I've had conversations with them and YOU can too.

Although humans have always had this ability to communicate with animals, we have just stopped using it as our society began teaching that man was the head of the food chain. Use your daily meditation to erase this thought and begin again. We are equal and WE ARE ONE. We must begin there if we are going to move forward with any plans of helping our planet. Our fellow animals, insects, minerals, plants and all living beings cohabiting this earth, are very much aware of the struggles facing our planet.

By using animal communication you will bring yourself in alignment with the highest good for yourself, others and the planet. Animals can TEACH us how to share natural resources. Humans will continue to guzzle up precious water and igniting havoc among eco systems. They will deplete, poison and destroy greedily as animals and other living entities suffer. Not all do this for the mere sake of killing our planet, they feel they are striving forward with commerce that will improve society…but at what cost? If humans do not place the same values on the lives and well being of others sharing our planet, then they are only speeding up the demise of Mother Earth.

Animal Communication Lesson 2
Begin now and find an animal in nature. Sit quietly in their energy and allow them to feel your calmness. You are blending into their vibration sending them love. Your thoughts are peaceful, serene and non-confrontational. You are just a friend passing by. You may never see this particular animal again, perhaps it is a chipmunk, a frog or a chickadee. It does not matter it is very capable of communicating with you, and will, if IT chooses to.

Let us review how to communicate with this creature you are sitting beside. I outlined it in the last blog.

You will begin with a prayer of silence asking for protection as you open up to the ether world. This is what I use:
To my highest guides and helpers second to none
Please protect me at this time of meditation
Knowing that everything that is said, heard, felt or sensed is with absolute love
as I blend with my conscious and become one with my spirit.
I wish to communicate with this animal and I ask for your assistance in bringing this about.
I thank ALL THAT IS.

This is a non-domesticated creature that you are trying to connect with. Take note of its appearance and compliment them for their beauty, strength, keen eyesight or whatever attributes you find attractive.

You may now continue with your eyes closed or open (I do it eyes closed as it keeps me in the zone.) Next, begin sending thoughts of LOVE to the animal. See this love energy as white light washing over the animal. Feel the connection as this white light continues to bath the animal and sink into this sensation of absolute LOVE. You may begin to feel a bit emotional, this is perfectly normal. This emotion is your heart energy opening up and blending with this beautiful creature.

Ask permission to speak with the animal. You may get a sensation of a wall or a block, if so thank the animal and try again later. You have just felt what it is to get a "busy signal" or "not now." You may get a warm comfortable sensation and this is a "yes."

Start by being perfectly still in this space and send thoughts that make the animal feel safe in your presence. They can also SEE your auric field and will sense that you are a being that truly cares.

You can ask a question. Imagine your question floating within a bubble and send it to the animal.
Trust that the animal has heard you and wait.

Keep the question very simple and focus on the feelings and reason surrounding your question. 

You may find your animal friend is quite happy foraging for food in your midst and will speak to you on the task at hand, or it may want to share its opinion on the needs of the planet. How it communicates with its ancestors and what they have taught it about harmonizing with the earth. What are the best plants for medicinal needs? What vitamins are lacking in the soil? How can WE WORK TOGETHER to bring about positive changes to our planet?

I don't expect you will having deep conversations with turtles straight off, however in time and with practice you will learn to connect. You will be sitting quietly in nature and setting your mind on communicating with wildlife and you will slowly begin to use your gifts. You will receive Thoughts, Sounds, Tastes, Scents, Images and Feelings all creating COMMUNICATION. If you choose, you can ACT upon this gift of animal communication and become a part of this new world. A world where animals and ALL inhabitants sharing our planet live in harmony seeking what is best for ALL.

Remember to journal every session. Always end with gratitude sending the animal love. If possible you may try and capture their image using a camera (although I rarely carry one when doing this work as I like to UN-PLUG) and you can re-visit this animal again and again. You can just close your eyes and do this remotely. You do it the same way as if you are sitting beside them only you are focusing on an image, reminding yourself of their energy and you can open the communication.

In my next blog we will discuss communicating with Animals In Spirit. Learn to connect with a dear friend that once walked (or swam or flew) beside you and open up to their LOVE energy. They too are very wise and can offer much guidance as you continue your journey.

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I am a Professional Animal Communicator, I can speak with your animals! learn morehttps://calicohorses.com/animal-communication-with-lorraine-turner/
 

To learn how you can meditate please read my book Sæ-sii Meditation: How to Find Your Bliss in 15 Minutes a Day

Animal Communication 1

All people have the ability to communicate with animals, plants, trees, minerals and water as well as other humans. Through the ages they have forgotten, but many are waking up to this natural capability. Meditation is key to this know-how.

Personally I did not go searching for this communication and it became a natural blending as I was approached by wild horses during my meditation time (see Straight From The Horses Mouth blog.) Through my daily practice of sitting for purposeful fifteen minutes of meditation, I found that I was slowly communicating with my plants and even the fish that swam below my dock. Huh? How can sitting in meditation open up this link? It's actually quite simple. Meditation clears the path of debris that has cluttered our brain. Animals communicate through THOUGHT, and as we improve our ability to still the constant chatter, they seize the opportunity to speak with us. Yes, I say WITH, as there is a back and forth dialogue that occurs.

I always encourage others to record every meditation. This journaling will allow you to look back and see what information is coming TO you. I still remember the day when I first discovered meditation was opening this door of communication. Have a look at this journal entry.

Jan. 5, 2011 – I meditated early this morning. I found myself in my kitchen watering houseplants. A PLANT STARTED TALKING TO ME. He had a deep voice and was describing the chemical elements in the water. I asked if I was doing everything all right, and did they (the plants) need anything … he replied “You are doing wonderful.” I then asked another question – silence. Then I felt stupid talking to plants and tested this again by saying “bye” and as I turned to go I heard him say “bye”. Man would I love to be a plant whisperer—ha!

Animal Communication Lesson 1
I learned this method from Wynter Worsthorne of animaltalkafrica.com You can download her simple how to .pdf for yourself. She taught me the number one rule in making this connection is to TRUST everything that comes to you. It may be sounds, tastes, feelings, images or just a knowing. They will use our senses to make contact and we must learn to set aside our brain and just accept what is given. TRUST the information and TRUST yourself.

Find a quiet place beside an animal you would like to communicate with. This can be a pet or an animal in nature. Be sure to have a pen and notebook to journal ALL communication.

Close your eyes and begin a meditation of silence asking for protection as you open up to the ether world. This is what I use:
To my highest guides and helpers second to none
Please protect me at this time of meditation
Knowing that everything that is said, heard, felt or sensed is with absolute love
as I blend with my conscious and become one with my spirit.
I wish to communicate with this animal and I ask for your assistance in bringing this about.
I thank ALL THAT IS.

You may now continue with your eyes closed or open (I do it eyes closed as it keeps me in the zone.) Next, begin sending thoughts of LOVE to the animal. See this love energy as white light washing over the animal. Feel the connection as this white light continues to bath the animal and sink into this sensation of absolute LOVE. You may begin to feel a bit emotional, this is perfectly normal. This emotion is your heart energy opening up and blending with this beautiful creature.

Ask permission to speak with the animal. You may get a sensation of a wall or a block, if so thank the animal and try again later. You have just felt what it is to get a "busy signal" or "not now." You may get a warm comfortable sensation and this is a "yes."

Start by being perfectly still in this space and send thoughts that make the animal feel safe in your presence. They can also SEE your auric field and will sense that you are a being that truly cares.

You can ask a question. Imagine your question floating within a bubble and send it to the animal.
Trust that the animal has heard you and wait.

Keep the question very simple and focus on the feelings and reason surrounding your question.

Ask OPEN questions. Closed questions will only allow the animal to respond in Yes or No. For example, "Does your paw hurt?" is a closed question. "How did you hurt your paw?" is an open question.

Next comes the trusting part. Sit in silence after sending your question accepting they have heard the question and stay in this love energy.

See their response in a bubble as it returns to you and pops open with a reply. Again it may be a thought, feeling, image, sound, taste or just a knowing. Often it can come quickly before you have even asked the question as they are reading your thoughts and excited you are actually able to communicate in their language.

Next just feel everything that comes to you. Do not think about it or try to engage any logic just allow the communication to wash over you. THIS TAKES PRACTICE, so if you do not feel or sense anything the first time, do not give up.

Before ending the communication always ask if there is something else the animal would like to share.

Thank them for this connection and leave them with this beautiful white light of love energy. Write EVERYTHING down and thank them.

In the next blog we will discuss how using this communication can help our planet.
Animal Communication Part 2

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I am a Professional Animal Communicator, want me to speak with your animals? learn more

To learn how you can meditate please read my book Sæ-sii Meditation: How to Find Your Bliss in 15 Minutes a Day

To learn more about Animal Communication please AnimalTalkAfrica

Southwest Spirits Calling Part 3

...continued from Part 2
GPS is an excellent tool for navigation but we decided to follow something even greater…our intuition. And so hitting the reset button, we tossed out our travel plans and decided to follow our  hearts northward.  Clearly we were meant to be the learners and not the teachers. I had thought the purpose of this trip was to raise awareness in others, it is why I wrote the book about the struggle of the wild horses and burros – it was why I had traveled so far…or was it?

Although mankind feels he has the right to disrupt nature, often it pushes back, like the herd of Bison that halted the traffic in Yellowstone National Park.  Or the spectacular falls that hurdle forward while a rainbow danced upon the surface. It's in those moments when we are reminded that we are but one species on this planet.

My daily meditations continued to bring me heightened awareness and particularly about water. The drought that has come upon the parched land is far reaching and seems to be getting worse.

Meditation:  I see shimmering water that forms an image of a man.  He is bare chested, dark skin, maybe Italian or Mediterranean olive skinned. Something hangs around his neck and he wears a camouflaged large brimmed hat that looks like a ranger hat or Mountie hat. He is comparing the beauty of Colorado and Arizona. He now hands me a slip of paper with something scribbled on it, lastly he signs his name large and I can't make out anything but Arizona and WASTE. It ends.

As I have traveled the country I am astonished by the over-consumption of water for lawns and golf courses in the desert. There is a water crisis yet people continue with recreation and beautification projects that guzzle up gallons every day. Sadly this will continue unless we make changes. During this trip my water meditations brought about a change in my attitude toward my own use of water, the lessons must begin within.

Onward we traveled driving 9 hour days to reach the next watercolor/book signing event. We are good traveling companions, you HAVE to be, and it is another lesson in sharing space, not only the land but our living space. We were attentive to each others needs working as a team as this felt very natural to us. There was a lot of discussion regarding everything we were experiencing yet, we were reminded daily to stop and stand in silence. This silence allowed us to hear the messages brought forth from the earth. Majestic mountains that told us to, "Stand fast in all you believe and reach for the sky ever upwards."  The beauty of the land seemed to encourage us and embrace us pushing us forward saying, "Yes, you are a part of ALL of this."

 

And where would this journey take us? To the smiling children of the Arapaho/Shoshone Nation who waited eagerly to listen and to learn. With welcome arms they allowed us to share the simple gift of art. Had we not ventured to this middle-of-nowhere land in Wyoming, we would never have met these remarkable Native Americans known as the HORSE PEOPLE. I may have come the teacher but I left the student.

We enjoyed this part of the trip so much we hated to leave, but we had one last stop in Colorado. With an hour to spare we pulled into a cafe, and a good thing too, as an unexpected Tornado dropped in for a visit. Wow! Again nature was in control and all we could do was watch as the sky darkened and all ran for shelter. Would our event be canceled? Slowly we made our way to Zuma's Rescue Ranch thinking we would just say, "hello" and "goodbye" as surely no one would venture out. We were stunned when the students took their seats as if to say, "We are here to learn, we will stand fast and together we will make what we can of this day." We shouldn't have been surprised as this organization is dedicated to helping abused horses and broken children heal.  Looking around the class at the different genders and ages I was reminded that this lesson is for ALL people. No tornado will ever stop the needs of others nor should it stop us from lending a hand.

And so this adventure came to an end as we began our trek home and pondered all we had learned. By following our intuition we found ourselves naturally drawn to helping others. The Southwest Spirits brought us a lifetime of lessons about compassion, listening and assisting wherever we could. By quietly going within we heard them introduce some new voices ...Northern Spirits that said, "Enjoy this for now and savor all you have learned for there are many more roads ahead."

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To learn more about meditation please read Meditation Mojo

Southwest Spirits Calling Part 2

...continued from Part 1
Nature has a way of making you stop in your tracks. It is a silent reminder that you are but a small piece of the larger picture. When we take the time to immerse ourselves we find that our heart matches the earth's beat. I traveled as a teacher yet all along I was always the student.

As we wandered through the various stops along the book tour it became very clear that the journey was the destination. It was an important revelation as it made us slow our pace and breathe in the beauty. The land was filled with tiny towns sprinkled throughout the desert. Where do they work? Where do they buy their groceries? Do their children become computer whizzes and electronic-game-zombies? I was contemplating this as we pulled into a tiny town called Wickenburg, AZ. I had wanted to see the Saguaro cacti and they only grow in the Sonora dessert. I was overwhelmed with joy as we had arrived during their blooming season. We took some photos and then stopped to visit this quaint town in the middle of giant cacti-land. We found ourselves in a lovely shop that seemed to be the local-hub for catching up on all the news and gossip. We grinned as the clerks smiled and then busied themselves with their morning routine of chatting with their merchant neighbors. The shop was filled with a beautiful collection of gifts including local artisans. I struck up a conversation with the owner and she bought four of my books as this shop was a perfect fit for a book on wild horses.

The state is planning a bypass to run around this tiny town, much like many others that are now empty. It will effect their economy greatly as the tourists will no longer stop. All for the sake of traffic moving even faster through this beautiful terrain filled with such natural treasure. Mankind is always in a rush to get to the next traffic light it seems.

As we resumed our trek across the country I continued daily meditations soaking up all of the wisdom that seemed to intensify like a surging river.

Meditation: I am shown a white feather and I hear "take flight as the feather is the bridge between spirit and physical – together we are one energy – always with you. Keep as a token knowing you are never alone and are connected to spirit – take flight."

The book on the wild horses was given to me by the Calico Horses that once roamed in the Calico Mountains in NV. Many were killed in a brutal winter roundup in 2009, those that were spared found their way to safety at Return to Freedom in Lompoc, CA. They called out to me time and again in meditations that began in 2011. I journaled everyone of those accounts and an outline for my book appeared. Three years later I would publish that book and I would meet the few remaining rescued horses. Read more about them here.

Meeting these animals was as natural as stopping by to visit an old friend. I felt an intense connection and so blessed to stand among them. They are battered, scarred, tangled and resilient. We have so much in common, we share so much and I had never realized it until that moment–we are survivors. A videographer was on hand for the moment as I am in the process of creating a film about their plight and when I was asked how it felt to finally meet them, I was too overtaken with emotions to even speak. Here it was… my big moment and my tears were the only thing captured on film. Tears of joy, gratitude and extreme awe. Soon after that encounter another meditation would find its way to my door.

Meditation: A red tailed hawk is circling overhead and I hear “heightened perspective”

As I continue to record my meditations I can sense that I am being taught more then ever before. Its as if I have been given a new vantage point in which to peer across the earth.  An added bonus is the realization that all of the stress or concern I had about teaching now melts away as I stand before students knowing I am doing exactly what I am called to do at this time. I am not a mere teacher–I am a fellow traveler on this journey called life. Meditation has opened my heart to accept this role.

Meditation helped me write my book and it is how I will move forward on the next project that was also given to me. It began as the spirits of the southwest brought me the following…

Meditation: Lights of energy appeared as I began to see images forming. I heard "February 11." I saw a white horse running. I saw an old fashioned round globe light with the name Aurora on it, I immediately thought of a comic book. I heard someone say, "Well how do you think you got here?" I saw a drawing of my own. It was a comic strip panel and there was a round-up with horses jumping out of the frame. They were escaping the frame of the panel. Some of the panels had borders but now the horses were behind and around them as they had escaped the frame of the story… it ended.

And so I will begin my next project, a new Comic Book series about the wild horses. I will write and draw all I know about the lessons of survival something I have in common with these beautiful yet hardy creatures.

My southwest experience does not end here and I will conclude the recordings of all I have learned in Part 3.
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To learn how you can begin using meditation to enhance your life please read How to Begin.